


Chromopop!: The DTNG Rule 63 Anthology

by ScumdogSnev



Category: Degrassi the Next Generation
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Cancer, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Multi, Period-Typical Homophobia, Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, What-If, half of these stories aren't angsty I swear, it's just that these are all sore topics that the other stories won't shy away from
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-17 21:00:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12373980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScumdogSnev/pseuds/ScumdogSnev
Summary: What would some of the most important same-sex friendships in the series be like if they weren't homogenous? Find out in twelve stories that are all set in different universes. Some friends stay friends, while others take it to another level. Equal parts sunny and gloomy, you'll catch glimpses of how your favorite sets of best friends go about their lives in various worlds in which one character's second X isn't necessarily a Y.





	1. Your People Deserve Better - Eddy and Manny

**Author's Note:**

> I know that someone's gonna bring this up, so I'm just gonna squash this immediately in caps.
> 
> THIS ANTHOLOGY ISN'T MEANT TO BE HOMOPHOBIC OR HETEROSEXIST. THIS IS JUST THE RESULT OF SOME WEIRDO'S INTEREST IN RULE 63 AND WHAT-IF SCENARIOS. DON'T FIGHT ME. I DON'T WANNA FIGHT YOU.
> 
> That aside, hope you enjoy reading the one-shots just as much as I enjoyed writing them!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddy's unfaltering desire to save the world starts to rub Manny the wrong way. Season 1.

Manny made her way to the Nelsons’ house, simultaneously intrigued and confused about what Eddy could possibly want from her this time. Going by the fact that the phone call started with “Manny, this is really important, you’ve gotta come over,” she figured that it was time for her to accompany him in another one of his spontaneous protests. She couldn’t care any less about whatever Eddy fought for on any given day; to her, life was too short to sweat it over every little injustice in the world. But at the end of the day, they were still best friends and always found a way to have a good time together in the end.

She was about to ring the bell when the door suddenly flew open in her face. Eddy practically ran past her, but not before grabbing her hand on the way. Good thing that Manny’s Spirit Squad exercises allowed her to keep up with his clumsy sprinting down the street.

“Hey, since when did saying 'hi' go out of style,” she asked, obviously bothered by his brash greeting.

“Sorry, Manny,” Eddy replied breathlessly, “but what I’m about to show you is more important than having manners!”

“What, did some mad scientist see your pants and decide to give dolphins legs?”

Eddy ignored his friend’s quip as they approached the department store. He also seemed to have ignored his field of vision, because the duo’s mad dash came to a screeching halt when they both crashed into an empty shopping cart just outside the doors. The amateur revolutionary groaned as he got up, but crouched back down as soon as he saw that Manny had scraped herself pretty badly. Her pained expression nearly made him forget why they came here in the first place.

“Manny! You okay?”

“Yeah, Ed, I’m totally fine,” she yelled. “Just look at how much fun I'm having!”

“Alright, I admit that was a pretty dumb question. Here, take my hand.”

Eddy helped Manny up, but she needed to hold on to him even when walking. People were giving them concerned and judgmental looks, but he soldiered on into the store anyway. The whole time that they were walking to the shelves of body washes and intimate health products, Manny had refused to say a single word to him. This annoyed him; it wasn’t that he didn’t care for Manny. It’s just that something else was more important to him at that moment. Manny managed to get back on her feet as Eddy picked out two bottles of body wash. He turned around and showed her the white bottle with a lemon slice on it.

“You’re not trying to tell me that I smell, are you?”

“Look at this body wash. ‘Fresh Essentials: Citrus Sunbeam’ for $2.86.”

“...Okay?”

Eddy then showed her the other bottle. It was black with a blue lightning bolt on it.

“Now look at this! ‘Masterson’s: Prairie Pine Power’ for only $2.38!”

Manny was getting impatient with him. “So, this is why you literally dragged me across town? That’s what you think is more important than anything else?”

“Of course, can’t you see it? Even body wash manufacturers are working to keep girls like you down!”

“...Girls like--”

“Look around you for a second. Every feminine product here is more expensive than your typical health product!” Eddy was practically yelling at her now. “I can’t believe you’ve never heard of the pink tax before!”

“I can’t believe you still don’t know why you don’t have many friends, Ed.”

Eddy was about to snap at Manny, but calmed down and decided to listen to her for once.

“It’s one thing wanting to make a difference, but what’s the point if you don’t even know what you’re fighting for anymore?”

“Manny--”

She suddenly smiled, catching him off guard. Soon enough, she started to laugh despite her injuries.

“Just give it a rest already, Eddy! I mean, losing it because of a couple of extra dimes? Really? There’s a lot worse going on for women on the other side of the world, you know. Even then, it’s not like we’re some endangered species you can just march around for all the time.”

Eddy put away the body washes in their proper places, sighing as he did so.

“So what am I supposed to do to make the world a better place?”

“You can start by taking life less seriously for a change. Here, let me show you what I mean.”

Manny went to the checkout counter and got a small bubble container. She paid the clerk and motioned to Eddy to follow her outside. They sat down in front of the store.

“Whenever I feel down, blowing bubbles always makes me feel better.”

Eddy raised an eyebrow at this. “Boys in junior high don’t blow bubbles, Manny.”

“Well, it doesn’t have to be bubble blowing,” she said, swishing the wand inside the bottle. “Just do something that makes you or even someone else happy. It doesn’t sound like much, but making someone smile’s already a better way to make the world a little brighter.”

She took out the wand and blew into it, watching a flurry of bubbles float around the parking lot. Eddy couldn’t help but smile himself as he watched Manny enjoy life for what it was.

“Sorry for earlier, Manny.”

“It’s okay, I’ll survive. Oh, right! I’m supposed to meet up with JT and Toby at the mall this afternoon for laser tag.”

Eddy looked at her for a few seconds. “Can I join you guys?”

It was Manny’s turn now to grab his hand and run around the city like the kids they were, laughing as they stumbled around in faint pain from the shopping cart incident.


	2. Gross - JT and Toni

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After JT stops being Toni's best friend, she contemplates her relationship with him and even more than she can handle for a school night. Season 3.

The harsh glow from the monitor forced me awake a few seconds ago. Squinting to my right, it looks like my hand bumped into the mouse while I was sleeping and the screen turned back on. I try to pull away from the computer, but a sharp pain shoots through my spine. Kate always warns me about how sleeping in the chair will ruin my back, but I never listen to her. Stupid me. That’s actually the one piece of advice I should take from her.

I finally find the strength to get up, wiping the drool from my mouth as I reach out for my glasses on the desk. They’re almost broken from falling asleep with them all the time. I notice that I have my D-Mail inbox open. Walking towards my computer again, I see that it’s a message from JT from two years ago.

_hey, tone! didnt think id ever see u again. still didnt get stuffed into a locker yet? looks like u beat me 2 the loser punch for once LOL! jk. my ribs still hurt from that fat kid with the spiky hair shoving me against the wall tho. dickhead. m.i. is so boring... how about we grab some pizza and head 2 the arcade after school? :-)_

Shit. I really miss those days. Hell, I just miss when JT would still talk to me and smiled to me like he meant it. Just being with him was enough for me to get through a school day without losing it. Nothing else mattered to me at the time than video games, anime and being with him.

I still remember the day we first met. July 18th, 2001, when we were at summer camp. I was sitting alone by the river, playing Pokémon Silver while my group was playing Truth or Dare. Some older kid took my Game Boy Color away from me and tried to throw it in the water; that’s when JT came along and tried to stop him. Needless to say, he got beat up and my Game Boy Color didn’t work anymore. It was at that same time when JT saw that I still had the box the game came in. He asked me if I played the trading card game, since he had brought some cards of his own. Not too long after that, we were practically joined to the hip. I think I almost puked out of excitement when I saw that he was going to Degrassi, too.

The clock on my computer reads 11:56 PM. I should get back to sleep, since it’s gonna be Thursday in four minutes, but I don’t want to. I throw on my jacket and some socks. I turn off the computer, quietly leave my room and sneak my way to the front door. In one room, I see Kate and my dad sleeping peacefully. She freaks me out; it’s almost like she’s some kind of unbreakable Stepford sex doll that he ordered to fill the Mom-shaped gap in his life. She cooks, she cleans and everything I tell her bounces off her rubber shell. She even came with a pre-order bonus: one bitch of a daughter who has no problem with humiliating me when she’s not ignoring me. Ashley’s in the other room, but she’s obviously not asleep. I can hear her giggling and letting out quiet moans. Sounds like she let Craig in again. His music sucks, but he’s alright. We’re not friends, but he helped JT and I out when we hired a stripper for Mr. Simpson’s wedding a few months ago. Don’t ask.

Dammit. It’s like I can’t think of a single moment in my life without tying it to him. Even though I made other friends, they were basically his friends. As for the exceptions, Sean’s been pretending like he doesn’t know me since we started Grade 9 and Kendra doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore. I tried to experiment with her once, but that’s a long story that I’d rather forget. I wanted to experiment with JT, too, but it wasn’t out of curiosity. I honestly loved him. In fact, I still do. I confessed my feelings to him over the summer, actually. He told me earlier this month that he’s ditching me for Paige’s squad because I’m dorky. Of course, that’s true, but the real reason why is because I like him as more than a best friend. That grosses him out. I gross him out. I gross everyone out; that’s why my mom left and why my dad is moody around me. I know that I’m gross, too. I think it’d be best for all of us if I just dropped dead somewhere in an alleyway from hypothermia. Even squatters wouldn’t want a freak like me around.

I go back to my room and look for a sheet of paper. After a few minutes, my note is ready. Taking a deep breath, I take the sheet with me and head to the kitchen so I can stick it to the fridge.

“Toni? What are you doing?"

I almost scream as I jump and crumple the paper in my hand. Looking up, I see a sleepy Craig holding a glass of milk.

"It's like midnight on a weekday and you're wearing pajamas, a jacket and fuzzy slippers. With socks on."

“I... Um...”

Good going, dumbass. Not suspicious at all.

“Are you okay?”

Why am I tearing up? Stop!

“No... No, I’m not.”

Fuck... Fuck!

He looks at my hand clutching the note and eyes me from top to bottom.

“If you’re about to do what I think you’re going to do, then don’t do it. It’s not worth it, I swear.”

I never pictured Craig as the kind of guy to give sound advice to people before, but there he is, telling me not to run away and commit suicide with the most serious look I’ve ever seen on him.

“How would you know?”

He walks up to me and squeezes my shoulder, but doesn’t say anything for a while.

“I’m sure someone out there cares about you. You’ll make new friends at some point. I know you will. You might even get a boyfriend soon! Also, if you’re embarrassed about being a computer geek, don’t sweat it. It’s people like you who’ll be leading the future with supercomputers, robots, all that cool stuff. Don’t mind the rest of us playing music and running around with balls on fields.”

The last thing I expect him to do, he does it. He genuinely smiles and asks me: “Hey, why don’t you show me how to play that magic grabbing card game?”

I chuckle at his attempt to name the game and lead Craig to my room. It’s almost like having Jimmy around again and I feel a little warmer inside. Craig and I won’t be best friends after this morning, but just being around someone who doesn’t cringe at the sight of me is enough for now.


	3. Hooky - Snake and Jolene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jolene calls her platonic life partner Snake at midnight so they can hang out at their favorite diner. She fails to realize that it's not 1989 anymore and that they both have responsibilities as adults. 1998.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Snake blindly reaches for the phone from the comfort of his blanket, but accidentally knocks the receiver over.

“Oh my-- Son of a...”

He hears a voice from the receiver; whoever that is must be really persistent to not want to hang up yet after almost twenty seconds.

“Snake? Snake, where’d you go?”

He sighs, crawls out of bed and grabs the dangling phone. There she goes again.

“Nowhere, Jo,” answers Snake, sounding sleepy and especially annoyed as he stresses every word. “I’m right here.”

He hears her laugh. “Come on, buddy, lighten up! It’s not that late, you know.”

“What?! Yes, it is! What do you even consider to be late, anyway?”

“Three AM,” answered Jolene nonchalantly. Always so carefree, even as a twentysomething year old.

“Look, what do you want? Before you ask, no, I’m not giving you any more money for electro and hydro.”

“Come on, Snake, I don’t even ask you for that kind of stuff anymore. Anyway, how about we head to that one diner near my place?”

Snake groans, his eyes still half-closed. “Jo, we can’t go out all the time at a moment’s notice anymore. You do remember that I’m a teacher now, right?”

“You can always call in sick tomorrow, pal. Excuse me, I mean Mr. Simpson,” Jolene jokes.

“Shut up, Jo. Hey, correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t you have a job, too?”

“Yeah, but the lot only opens at ten on Fridays. No big deal.”

He looks at the nightstand and sees a framed photo of himself, Jolene and some of their high school buddies from last year. Jolene’s girlfriend Julia is also there, standing right next to her lover.

“How about that family of yours?”

Snake hears Jolene faintly talking to someone, possibly Julia. A minute later, she gets back on the line.

“Speak of the devil. Turns out I woke her up ‘cause I’m too loud. Huh? Stop smiling at me like that, babe! I was gonna tell Snake that you’re more of an angel, but that’s not so true right now... Besides, you’re louder than me!”

Snake blankly stares at his bedroom door as he waits for Jolene to stop making out with her pseudo-wife. He purposefully yawns into the receiver.

“Jealous,” she taunts, her voice now quieter.

“Am not. Besides, I’m not interested in settling down yet.”

“Come on, I bet Melanie and even Spike must feel real lonely without your confident, striking presence...”

“Jesus Christ, Jolene, let me sleep!”

“Stop denying the fact that you’re 100% awake now. Grab a bite with me, I’ll pick you up.”

Well, it _is_ Friday and he _is_ getting a little sick of grading papers... Snake wishes with all his heart that he could do this kind of thing online, which is especially ironic given the class that he’s teaching. He doesn’t mind Raditch cutting into his payroll if ever he’s caught playing hooky with his almost lifelong rival Jolene.

“...Fine. I’m just gonna shower and get dressed real quick.”

“Sweet! See you later, then?”

Snake genuinely smiles; Jolene is still as charming as ever. “Sure. Hey, Jo?”

“Yeah?”

“How come you’re not tired at all?”

“Angie.”

They both laugh.

“The things you do for her, huh?”

“That’s parenthood for ya! Love her to bits, but damn, she’s a cranky one. Well, bye!”

“Bye,” he says before hanging up the phone and rolling his eyes.

Alright, so maybe he was a little jealous of her.


End file.
